At first glance, Matthew Dellavedova doesn’t pass the eye test.
All that changes when the Cleveland Cavaliers guard hits the floor. He transforms into a whirling dervish, going after anything that moves.
“He’s one tough son of a gun,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said.
His hard-nosed play is infectious. It definitely grows on you.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is making his move with the Cavs (29-44), who are making a late push to earn the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
They trail No. 8 seed Atlanta by 3 1/2 games with nine games remaining in the 2013-14 season. A lot will be known in their next two games. They travel to Brooklyn on March 28 and then host Indiana on March 30. If the Cavs are able to win those two games, things will get very interesting.
Things got very interesting in Auburn Hills, Mich., on March 26 when the Cavs clipped Detroit with a last-second shot by guard Dion Waiters. The Cavs led in the second half for three-tenths of a second.
“It was a great feeling,” Dellavedova said. “We had to dig in for the last quarter. Everyone came up big. We knew if we could get a couple stops, we would have a shot at the end.
“We were flat (in the third quarter). I tried to bring some energy in that third quarter to try to keep us going.”
The Cavs have won three in a row heading into their most important weekend of the season.
“Everyone is feeling pretty good,” Dellavedova said. “We’re playing together. We’ll see what we can do.
“Our backs are against the wall. Every game is do-or-die.”
The Australian native has been most known this year as a defensive specialist who just hounds players.
That changed in the Pistons game when he paced the Cavs with a career-high 21 points and six assists. He was 5 of 7 from behind the arc.
“I can’t say enough about Delly,” Brown said. “His 21 points were huge.”
In his last five games, Dellavedova is averaging 11 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He’s shooting 54.3 percent from the field (19 of 35) and 55 percent from the 3-point line (11 of 20).
“We put a lot of time in shooting the ball,” he said. “I started well this season and then had a drop-off. It picked up lately. You have to keep refining it and keep taking good shots.
“I work on my 3-point shot and watch a lot of game tape. I stuck with it. It feels pretty good right now.”
His playing time has soared since the biceps injury to Kyrie Irving. Dellavedova played 36 minutes against the Pistons.
“Kyrie has been out,” he said. “I’ve had to try to step up. I’ve tried to be more aggressive and make more plays. I’m feeling pretty comfortable out there right now.”

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@morningjournal.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsInsider.